Stranger Danger (Lucy McGuffin, Psychic Amateur Detective 4)

He sits in the chair across from me. “So … ” He blows out a breath. “I guess you figured out that I’m … ” He shakes his head like he can’t bring himself to say it.

“What? That you’re J.W. Quicksilver? Yeah. It took me a while, but I finally got it. What I don’t get is why you never told me. Or why you lied to me when I asked you the other day. Right after kissing me, I might add.”

“It’s complicated.”

Huh. That’s exactly what I said to Sarah.

“The kiss or the lie?” I ask.

“Both,” he says miserably. “Crap.” He rakes a hand through his dark hair. “That didn’t come out right. It’s the lie that’s complicated. Not the kiss. The kiss was great.”

This seems like the perfect opening to talk about where our relationship is headed, but I can’t think about that until we clear up the mess he’s made with this J.W. Quicksilver business.

“What do you know about this faker who’s pretending to be you?” I ask.

“Not much except that he approached Betty Jean after she posted on an online review site. He must be trolling reader sites and preying on the clueless.”

“But what does he possibly hope to gain from this?”

“Besides getting his jollies impersonating me? I have no idea. All I know is that this is really bad.”

“I agree.” I think back to how excited Betty Jean and Brittany were when they came into the café. “You know Betty Jean got Botox in anticipation of meeting you?”

Will looks horrified. And he hasn’t even seen Betty Jean try to smile yet.

“You have to fix this. You have to tell everyone that you’re the real J.W. Quicksilver.”

“That’s what Sebastian says I should do.” He puts his head between his hands. “I wanted to come out on my own terms. Not like this.”

“You write popular thrillers. Big deal. Who else knows that you’re the real J.W.? Besides Sebastian?”

“Just my publisher. And my agent. And now you.”

“Not even your parents?”

Will shakes his head. Wait … Will has an agent? It reminds me once again of the secret life he’s been living, and I can’t help but feel resentful.

“The way I see it, you don’t have a choice. You either out this impostor or you let him go around being you. By the way, I hear you’re going to the reading tonight with Brittany.”

He looks at me. “It’s not a date.”

“Does Brittany know that?”

“As a matter of fact, she does.”

I still. “Oh.”

“I told her I wanted to be friends. That’s all. The tickets were sold out, so it was the only way I could go.”

Speaking of which, I really need to secure my own ticket to this circus. “Hold on a sec.” I pull out my cell phone and text Travis.

Hey. I heard through Brittany that you have an extra ticket to the J.W. Quicksilver event tonight. Any chance I can use it?

He texts back almost immediately. It depends on how nicely you ask.

I fight back the urge to put him in his place. Can I please have your extra ticket?

He makes me sweat a couple of minutes before he responds.